Lawyer: Phone Scheme Meant to Embarrass Senator

From the Associated Press:

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Four conservative activists accused of trying to tamper with a senator’s phones were just trying to record embarrassing undercover video of her staff ignoring phone calls from constituents angry that she supported health care reform, one of their attorneys said Thurday.

The four, including activist James O’Keefe, known for posing as a pimp and using a hidden camera to target the community-organizing group ACORN, were arrested Monday after targeting Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office in a New Orleans federal building.

Attorney J. Garrison Jordan denied they were trying to disable or wiretap the phones in Landrieu’s office.

“You’re dealing with kids,” he said. “I don’t think they thought it through that far.”

Instead, Jordan said, they hoped to get embarrassing video footage of Landrieu’s staff handling constituent calls. Her office received complaints last month that callers opposed to her health care stance couldn’t get through.

Landrieu was not impressed with Jordan’s explanation.

“Attorneys are hired to spin for their clients,” she said Thursday in an interview in Washington. “Good luck.” (more…)

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Tags: "Hee Haw", ACORN, Andrew Breitbart, Benjamin Wetmore, J. Garrison Jordan
Posted Jan 28th 2010 at 4:03 pm in ACORN, Media Criticism, News | 66766321 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/01/28/lawyer-phone-scheme-meant-to-embarrass-senator/Lawyer%3A+Phone+Scheme+Meant+to+Embarrass+Senator+2010-01-29+00%3A03%3A56Publius

Questions Raised By Flawed Stimulus Job Figures

Pelican Institute reporter Steve Beatty has a new story demonstrating that hundreds of jobs allegedly “saved or created” in Louisiana may be incorrect or exaggerated:

The issue of phantom Congressional districts listed in the national stimulus database recently created a stir. But the tally of Louisiana jobs allegedly created or saved by President Obama’s signature domestic policy program raises more serious questions about this database.

A review of the self-reported information may inspire a chuckle or a sneer, particularly when less-than-savvy recipients of federal money don’t know what Congressional district they’re in, or that the state only has seven such districts. That unsophisticated approach made headlines when money was listed as being spent in various districts that just didn’t exist. In the end, though, those reports are likely to be modified and will land in the appropriate district.

A greater concern is the 475 jobs listed as created or saved in Louisiana, even though the related projects aren’t started. And the 171 jobs chalked up when small raises were given to Head Start workers. And the over 100 low-paying work-study jobs on college campuses that count just as much as, say, a full-time architect for a major building program. Other entries indicate what could be an under-reporting of jobs.

These are just some examples of questionable figures in the statewide data analyzed by The Pelican Institute for Public Policy.

(more…)

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Tags: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Head Start, Louisiana, LSU, Pelican Institute
Posted Dec 4th 2009 at 1:23 pm in Economics, News, Uncategorized | 4097020 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/kkane/2009/12/04/questions-raised-by-flawed-stimulus-job-figures/Questions+Raised+By+Flawed+Stimulus+Job+Figures2009-12-04+20%3A23%3A18Kevin+Kane

ACORN Still Owes $2.3 Million in Overdue Taxes

ACORN and its affiliates are content to impose crippling big-government laws, regulations, and taxes on Americans, but when called upon to obey those same rules, ACORN’s network of scofflaws and deadbeats simply refuses to comply.

ACORN and its affiliates currently owe more than $2.3 million in long overdue back taxes to all levels of government.

It's deathly quiet at the former funeral home at 1024 Elysian Fields Avenue, New Orleans. (photo: Kevin Kane)

As of Nov. 11 the exact figure was $2,328,596.95.

ACORN owes money to the IRS, Arkansas, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and to the cities of New York and Philadelphia.

(more…)

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Tags: ACORN, Arkansas, Barack Obama, Buddy Caldwell, California
Posted Nov 16th 2009 at 1:03 pm in ACORN, Obama | 3160655 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/mvadum/2009/11/16/acorn-still-owes-2-3-million-in-overdue-taxes/ACORN+Still+Owes+%242.3+Million+in+Overdue+Taxes2009-11-16+20%3A03%3A59Matthew+Vadum

Lousiana Attorney General Serves ACORN With 2nd Subpoena: Full Text

From Steve Beatty, investigative reporter for the Pelican Institute:

The brother of ACORN’s founder embezzled $5 million from the organization, nearly five times more than the figure previously acknowledged by the New Orleans activist group’s officials, according to a subpoena served Monday by the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office.

“The exact amount of the embezzlement was unknown until it was recently acknowledged in a board of directors meeting on October 17, 2008 by (ACORN Chief Executive Officer) Bertha Lewis and (ACORN board member) Liz Wolf that an internal review had determined that the amount embezzled was $5,000,000,” reads the court document. “It is still unclear if some of the monies embezzled are from state, federal of private funds.”

ACORN 2nd Subpoena –

(more…)

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Tags: ACORN, ACORN embezzlement, ACORN subpoena, ACORN tax liens, Attorney General Buddy Caldwell
Posted Oct 6th 2009 at 1:00 pm in ACORN, News, Politics, State Politics | 1355024 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/kkane/2009/10/06/lousiana-attorney-general-serves-acorn-with-2nd-subpoena-full-text/Lousiana+Attorney+General+Serves+ACORN+With+2nd+Subpoena%3A+Full+Text+2009-10-06+20%3A00%3A45Kevin+Kane

Questions About ACORN’s NOLA Contracts

From the Pelican Institute’s investigative reporter, Steve Beatty:

Despite landing $625,000 worth of work with the city of New Orleans to develop or repair housing for poor people, an offshoot of the activist group ACORN appears to have done nothing to fulfill the contract, no longer has the specified office in New Orleans and no longer employs the director who signed the contracts.

Acorn Housing Corp. has received no city money in connection with the two contracts, city spokeswoman Ceeon Quiett told WDSU-TV recently. Neither Quiett nor her representatives responded to requests from The Pelican Institute to address other questions about the contracts, one of which expired Aug. 31.

Those questions include:

• How did Acorn Housing get the contracts, through competitive bid or otherwise?
• Why did no one with the city monitor the contract to ensure the city got what it expected?
• Is the money still available to help low-income residents of New Orleans?
• Do city officials expect the current contract, which expires Jan. 31, to provide any services?
• Will Acorn Housing continue to be included on the city’s list of designated non-profit Community Housing Development Organizations?  

(more…)

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Tags: ACORN, ACORN Housing, Canal Street, Ceeon Quiett, Community Housing Development Organization
Posted Oct 2nd 2009 at 8:15 am in ACORN, Politics, State Politics | 1137833 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/kkane/2009/10/02/questions-about-acorns-nola-contracts/Questions+About+ACORN%27s+NOLA+Contracts+2009-10-02+15%3A15%3A51Kevin+Kane

ACORN’s Tax Problems

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Tags: ACORN, ACORN Housing, Attorney General, Buddy Caldwell, Hurricane Katrina
Posted Oct 1st 2009 at 4:09 pm in ACORN, Politics, State Politics | 1127855 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/kkane/2009/10/01/acorns-tax-problems/ACORN%27s+Tax+Problems2009-10-01+23%3A09%3A40Kevin+Kane